Beyonce Is Not A Role Model

luzialowe:

Okay, you know what?

1. Fuck you.

2. Fuck you.

3. FUCK YOU.

Sincerely, to the person that wrote this article: you are bad, and you should feel bad. You are painfully ignorant of what Beyonce does for women everywhere, and furthermore, you are painfully ignorant and condescending on the topic of sex work, a job I am quite sure you have never done. So don’t talk about what you don’t know.

Let’s break this down, shall we?

On Beyonce:

Beyonce is a fantastic role model. 

She is not only a woman, but a woman of color who has managed to be popularly and monetarily successful through her own hard work, despite the immense social barriers she faces as a woman of color.

I don’t like her music, it’s not my cup of tea. However, her songs still convey a message of female empowerment and independence, and generally a “take no shit” attitude, which is something she has actually achieved and lives by.

She is happily married, but has not sacrificed her career for it- she has proven to many women that you CAN have both, and it can be awesome.

She wears the outfits that she does because she chooses to, she likes the image that she has- as a woman empowered both through talented ability and through her own understanding and acceptance of her sexuality in a day and age where too many women are still taught that their sexuality is shameful, or most often, unimportant unless it is for the gratification of a man.

Let me repeat that, because I find it to be one of the most compelling reasons to consider Beyonce a fantastic role model: she encourages women to embrace and accept their sexuality for themselves, on their own terms, in a society in which women are taught that their sexuality is not important unless it is to serve the needs of a man. 

She is quite obviously happy with her success and her long-lived career, she is happy with her marriage, she is happy with her clothing choice, she is happy with her sexuality and sexual expression.

Anyone who thinks that any of those aspects are negative and should not be taught to young girls is someone who thinks young girls don’t deserve to demand respect, demand happiness, and demand control over their own bodies and sexuality as they see fit, for whatever reason they choose, whether for personal comfort or for furthering their success.

Is Beyonce the best role model ever in the history of the world? No, she may not be a first generation feminist writer or some other revered intellectual on equality. But she’s a woman who inspires others to live for themselves and not for anyone else.

Just because she’s feminine and embraces her femininity in a sexual way does not make her any less of a feminist- she is still a business woman, and she has chosen what makes her happy and fulfilled.

What it comes down to is this: 

You can show off your body, and still be a feminist.

You can be married, and still be a feminist.

You can be feminine, and still be a feminist.

You can be a pop star, and still be a feminist.

As long as you have chosen these things for yourself, and you are happy, and you inspire others to make their own choices and be empowered as well, then you are a feminist and a role model for women. Beyonce is all of these things.

So stop trying to tell us that she is not.

Now, let’s talk about the sex work aspect here:

I am a sex worker. As a sex worker, I can say right here and now that the portrayal of sex work in this article is ignorant beyond belief.

Firstly, please do not in any way try to connect Beyonce with encouraging, perpetuating, or contributing to sex trafficking. She does not do this.

If you honestly think that a woman who is not afraid to flaunt her body or appreciate her own body is a major contributor to the sex trafficking pandemic because of this, then you are a misogynistic asshole who thinks that women’s bodies must be covered up, hidden, and regulated for our own safety. You are blaming women’s consensual comfort with their sexuality for the way that OTHER people exploit, commodify, and objectify women without their consent. You are victim blaming, you are perpetuating rape culture, and you need to stop. 

It should not be a great revelation to state that women deserve to have their consent respected no matter what they wear or what they do. Just because one woman may choose to objectify herself for her own purposes, whatever they may be, does not excuse the actions of men who objectify and commodify women against their will.

And secondly, this article implies that there is no such thing as women who choose to do sex work, or who enjoy doing sex work. 

I am a woman who has chosen to pursue sex work, and yes, I enjoy what I do.

Do not fucking erase me. 

Sex trafficking and sex work are two very different things, and when you try to pretend that they are one and the same, you are erasing, invalidating, and speaking for all of the women out there who have chosen this industry. 

You are telling us that we do not exist, and more importantly, that our choice is invalid or does not matter.

And excuse you, but our choices do fucking matter. Do not try to speak for us, do not try to tell us what the fuck we meant, do not try to tell us we are wrong. Do not make assumptions about us when you have no experience in this industry, when you do not know us, and when you do not understand us.

So in conclusion: 

Fuck you. Take your disgusting ignorance elsewhere. It’s not fucking appreciated.